Supply of fuel to the carburetors of automobiles



' Feb. 20, 1951 L. J. RYAN 2,542,362

SUPPLY 0F FUEL T0 THE CARBURETORS 0F AUTOMOBILES Filed DeG. 16, 1947Patented Feb. 20,` 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUPPLY or FUEL 'roTHE cARBUnp'roas F AUTOMOBILES Leslie James Ryan, East Malvern,Victoria, Australia (Cl, ,12S-H113) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to the feeding of fuel from the fuel tank of anautomobile to the Carburettor or similar device for converting the fuelinto an explosive gaseous mixture.

For that purpose, it is the usual practice to t an electric ormechanicallv operated pump in a pipe line extending from the fuel tankto the inlet of a Carburettor or the like. It has long i been realisedthat such fuel pumps are a source futher disadvantages liable tointerfere with continuous and eflicient operation of the pump.

- Trouble is often experienced by reason of the Suction valves of thepumps becoming inefficient fthrough wear or through blockage caused byforeign particles being drawn up in the fuel from the supply tank. Thus,air-leaks at the suction `.side o f a pump will very often cause thepump to break down cwi-ng to the low suction effect which is usuallyequivalent to about to 10 inches of vacuum.

4Thel present invention aims to overcome the beforementioned and othersuch disabilities, and for this purpose it contemplates a booster devicewhich is connected between the delivery side of the fuel pump Iand theinduction manifold so that the relatively high-suction effect obtainingin the latter and ranging from, say, ll0 to 2l inches of vacuum may beutilized to correct or overcome any mal-operationof the fuel pump andensure a substantially continuous delivery of fuel to the Carburettor orother suction device.

n The invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawingain which: g fAIigure l is asectcnal elevation of a booster device according to oneform of the invention.

Figure 2 is a general lay-out of a typical booster installationaccording to the invention.

Figure 3 illustrates one way in which the invention may be applied to awell known make of automobile.

,Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of a control device seen in Figures 2and 3.

Figure 5 shows an alternative way of connecting "fthe booster to aCarburettor.

The booster device, as best seen in Figure l, comprises a casing 2,preferably cylindrical, relatively small but longitudinally elongatedand arranged in a vertical, or substantially vertical, attitude. Theinterior of the chamber provides a chamber 3 having restrictedcommunication at its bottom with a passage 4 adapted to communicaterespectively with a fuel pump ,Si and a Carburettor or like device I(Figures 2 and 3).

A float 8, which may be of cork or in the form of a brass or otherthin-walled cylinder, is loosely disposed within the casing so that itwill rise and fall according to variations in the level of liquid fuelentering the chamber. The upper end of the float may have a partspherical recess 8a to accommodate a steel or other suitable ball 9which is capable of sealing a ball-seat Il formed in the lower end of ahollow Cap I2 affixed to the upper end of the casing. The verticalpassage 12a of the cap may be connected by a pipe I3 (indicated byunbroken lines in Figure 2) leading to a suitable position in the fuelinlet manifold I4 of the engine I5.

With such a device operatively installed, the suction effect from thevfuel inlet manifold I4 propagates through the fuel pump 6 and causesthe fuel to be induced into the Carburettor 1. At the same time, some ofthe fuel rises into the chamber 3 of the booster device so that thefloat 8 ascends, thereby bringing the ball-valve -li towards its seatingI I against which it is eventually held by the suction from the manifoldI4, thus cutting olf ,Communication between the booster and the inletmanifold.

In the `event of the pump 6 failing to operate or operating withmaterially decreased efliciency, the float 8 descends and the ball-valveS falls r from its seating II into the recess at the upper end of thefloat 8, thus allowing the suction effect from the manifold I4 topropagate through chamber V3 to the fuel pump 6 and to draw fuel throughthe pump and thence to the Carburettor. A similar'V action takes placein the event of a vapour lock Aoccurring in the pump.

Experiments carried out with the device as before described show that itis possible to start a cold engine quickly even with an old or defectivefuel pump for the reason that the booster device provides for arelatively high degree of suction being created immediately thestartermotor is operated and provides for a practically instantaneoussupply of fuel to the Carburettor. As it may not always be desirable forthe booster to be in operation, I contemplate inserting in the pipe I3which leads from the top of the booster Casing 2 to the fuel inletmanifold, a suitable control which may be operated from the driversseat. This control as best seen in vthrough-passage 4 communicatingFigure i may take the form of a valve casing I6 retained by a screw I1and nut i8 to the dash board or instrument panel I9 and having ports 2l,22 with which the respective ends of sections I3a, 13b, of pipe I3register. The control member may advantageously consist of a valve stem23 adjustable lengthwise within the bore of casing i6 by co-operation ofa screwed portion 23a of the stem with a screw threaded entry of thecasing, the outer end of the stem having a knarled head 23h. It will beapparent that, by moving the valve stem inwardly from the open positionindicated in Figure 2, communication between the top of the boosterchamber 3 and the intake manifold I4 will be cut-off and the boosterdevice rendered inoperative.

A further refinement involves the interposition of a non-return valvebetween the fuel inlet of the Carburettor 'l and the Carburettor side ofthe lower part of the booster chamber3'. This is best seen in Figure 1where it is assumed that a hollow T piece 2B screwed on to the lower endof casing 2 has the through-passage 4 formed therein and has a screwednipple 21 at one side 'for connection to the fuel pump 6 and an enlargedbore 28 at the other side which is internally screw threaded to receivea screw threaded sleeve 29.V The latter provides an annular abutmentface 3i! for one end of a compression spring 3| which bears at its otherend against a valve disc or washer 32 and tends to force the latter yagainst theannular Valve seating 33 created between one end ofthrough-passage 4 and the adjacent end of the enlarged bore 28. Thus,when the booster is operating and the suction effect propagates from theintake manifold i4 through the booster to the through-passage 4, thevalve 32 will be held against its seating and ensures that the entiresuction effect will be directed to the fuel pump. Then, after thenecessary pressure has` been built up by the fuel'pump, the valve 32will be automatically forced open to permit the fuel to be delivered tothe Carburettor.

Of course, this would not apply if the Carburettor'V Yis fully chargedwith fuel, as'the usual needle valve would offer sufficient restrictionto further delivery of fuel, but if the Carburettor vwere empty, thevalve would remain closed and prevent the suction effect from beingdissipated through the empty Carburettor.

In Figure 3, the booster device is shown applied to a well known Veight. automobile engine, andwherein the nipple 21 is applied directlyto the delivery side of the fuel pump E while a pipe 34 leads from theenlarged-bore end of T piece 26 to the inlet of the Carburettor 1.

VAccording to Figure 5, the enlarged-bore end of T piece 26 is connecteddirectly to the inlet of the Carburettor 'I while the nipple 21 isconnected by a pipe 35 to the delivery side of the fuel pump.

Having now described my invention, what I with the i 4 claim yas new anddesire to secure YbyLetteras Patent is:

1. A booster device for association with a fuel pumpfor supplying fuelto the Carburettor of an automobile engine having a fuel intakemanifold,

comprising a casing having at its bottom a hol-v low part providing athrough-passage for providing communication between the delivery side ofthe fuel pump and the fuel inlety side of the Carburettor, the interiorof the casing constituting a oat chamber communieating-.ll exclusivelyat its bottom with the upper vportion of said through-passage, a floatin said chamber, a hollow member closing the upper part of said casingand having a valve seat facingg the top of the saidviioat, said ,hollowmember having a passage extending upwardly from said valve seatforcommunication with said fuel intake manifold, and a valve memberincludingfa ball unattached to said float but capable cf'resting uponthe upper surface thereof so that the ballmay,

by rising of the float or by being .drawn upwards from the top of thefloat by suction, be forced against said seat to cut oif communication'between the float chamber Yand the fuel intake manifold.

2. AA. booster device for association with a fuel pumpfor supplying fuelto the carburettor of an automobile engine having a fuel intakemanifold, Vcomprising a casing having at its bottom a hollow partproviding a through-passage 'for providing communication between thedelivery side of the fuel pump and the fuel inlet side of theCarburettor, the interior of the casing constituting a float chambercommunicating exclusively at its bottom with the upper portion of saidthrough-passage, a float 'in said chamber, having a recess in the uppersurface thereof, a hollow member closing the upper part of said casingand having a valve seat facing'the top of said float, said hollow memberhaving a passage extending upwardly from said valve seat forVVcommunication with said fuel intake manifold.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '725,640 Wemmer Apr. 14, 19031,396,172 Fear Nov. 8, 1921 1,826,119

Berdon Oct. 6, 1'931

